Meet the brand new Josh Kraft: Actual property mogul and political insider Alan Leventhal.
Like Kraft, the failed candidate for Boston mayor, Leventhal is a rich philanthropist who’s out of contact with extraordinary voters. That at all times bodes nicely.
How a lot additional out of contact are you able to be when your most up-to-date job was ambassador to Denmark?
The 73-year-old Leventhal – appointed to the Denmark submit by his buddy Joe Biden – is now deluded into pondering he can run a profitable unbiased marketing campaign for governor towards incumbent Democrat Maura Healey and two Republican candidates.
Identical to Kraft – son of Patriots proprietor Robert Kraft – was deluded into pondering he might beat incumbent Michelle Wu.
Leventhal, like Josh Kraft, has a strong, well-known father, Norman Leventhal, the late actual property magnate who has a park named after him in Publish Workplace Sq..
And like Kraft, Leventhal would run as a first-time candidate with no expertise operating campaigns – which is at all times an indication of a bust.
Leventhal, a prime donor to Biden and different Democrats, might run as an unbiased as a result of these sorts of campaigns have gone over so nicely in Massachusetts prior to now.
Simply ask former State Treasurer Tim Cahill, who ran as an unbiased in 2010 and bought 8% of the vote, simply sufficient to maintain Republican Charlie Baker out of the Nook Workplace.
Leventhal could be fortunate to get 8% in 2026.
Alan Leventhal reportedly is contemplating hiring political svengali Doug Rubin as his prime guide, as a result of Rubin has been so profitable currently operating campaigns, like that of failed U.S. Senate candidate Steve Pagliuca, and failed presidential candidate Tom Steyer.
Rubin is wise sufficient to know Leventhal would by no means win, nevertheless it’s powerful to show down that large paycheck.
The fact is Leventhal’s nascent marketing campaign might be a trial balloon that can pop.
However within the occasion he does run, Leventhal could be weak to criticism that he’s beholden to particular pursuits on Beacon Hill like the actual property business.
It’s much like the playbook Wu ran towards Kraft, portraying him as a wealthy out of towner who could be beholden to billionaires and President Donald Trump.
Leventhal would additionally undoubtedly be tagged by Republicans for serving to fund a brilliant PAC backing Biden, Unite the Nation.
He donated $50,000 to Unite the Nation in 2020 and $250,000 to the tremendous PAC in 2019, in accordance with data.
How do you run on transparency and good authorities when you will have been a significant donor to tremendous PACs?
Josh Kraft was keen on tremendous PACs, too, having been the beneficiary of a brilliant PAC group backing his mayoral marketing campaign.
All it did was give Wu extra ammo to assault his marketing campaign, and little doubt Healey will do the identical factor.
Good luck, Mr. Leventhal. Possibly it’s best to ask your PR man, George Regan, how straightforward it was to knock off Michelle Wu.
